Somebody to Love
by Jack Stryker
Summary: With a little help from Pumbaa, Timon rescues an orphaned female meerkat from a hyena and invites her to stay with them at the jungle oasis. Meanwhile, the slain hyena has friends who seek revenge for his death.
1. Dream Girl

Disclaimer: The Lion King is not mine. It belongs to Disney, along with Timon, Pumbaa, and all the other non-original characters in this story. Now as you may have guessed from the summary, this is a Timon/OC romance fic. If you don't like those kind of stories, then you're free to leave. As for the rest of you, please read and review. Give me your honest opinions about this story. If you still don't like it, that's fine, as long as you give me a valid reason. Oh, and if you haven't seen the Lion King 1 & ½, I would heartily recommend it. Not only is it a great movie, but this story won't make much sense unless you've seen it. Okay, on with the story now.

**Somebody to Love **

By Jack Stryker

**Chapter 1 – Dream Girl**

---

Timon couldn't believe his eyes. Standing there in front of him was the most beautiful female meerkat he'd ever seen. Her eyes were bright green, her hair was a rich, dark shade of brown, and her fur was glossy. She smiled and winked at him. Timon felt his heart pounding as he slowly walked towards her. The girl held her arms out, and motioned with one hand for him to come closer. Timon then moved forward at a faster pace, ready to take her in his arms and kiss her; when he suddenly fell onto his face.

Timon snapped awake from his dream and found himself at the jungle oasis, lying next to Pumbaa. He had been dreaming about that girl for weeks, but this time his dream was interrupted after he accidentally rolled off of Pumbaa's back. He snapped his fingers in frustration.

"Dang it! Another dream." he mumbled to himself, "Why couldn't it have been real this time?"

Timon yawned, stretched, looked up at the sky, and noticed that it was still dark. Feeling thirsty, he headed over to a pool of water. He was happy to be home again, now that he and Pumbaa were no longer needed to look after Kiara. Yet, deep down inside, he couldn't help feeling a bit depressed. Lately, the thing that he had desperately wanted the most was a mate. Unfortunately, most of the females in the colony were either taken or just not attracted to him. In his quest to find a mate, Timon had tried to find the girl from his dreams, but none of the females at the oasis matched her description. This was the day when he had finally given up the search.

As Timon neared the pool, he saw a meerkat couple heading his way. It was Swifty and his mate, Sherri. Sherri was carrying their young son, Gus; who was fast asleep in her arms.

"Hey, Timon," said Swifty, "thanks again for bringing us to this place. I'm glad we finally don't have to worry about anything with claws hurting Gus."

"Oh, think nothin' of it, Swifty." Timon replied with a small wave of his hand.

"No hard feelings about those tunnel incidents in the past." Sherri added with a smile.

"Not at all. Thanks, Sherri."

"Well, come on," Swifty said to Sherri, "let's get some sleep."

As the small family turned and walked away, Sherri looked over her shoulder and waved.

"See you later, Timon." she said.

Soon, they were out of sight. Timon smirked at them, then sighed heavily and knelt in front of the pool.

"I don't understand it." he said to himself, "What is it that the girls don't see in me?"

He thought briefly about his parents as he took a drink of water.

"How did you do it, Pop?" he asked aloud.

Timon sighed again. Thinking about his father only made him feel more depressed. It was a grim reminder of how much he had missed his father since he was a pup. Timon scooped up some more water with his hands. Then just as he began drinking it, he suddenly noticed that his reflection in the pool looked different. It was now that of an older meerkat with darker hair; who looked similar to Timon's uncle, Max. Timon spit out the water and cried, "What the...?!"

The image simply smiled at Timon and whispered, "Don't worry. She's out there. Just take your time."

Timon stared back at the image for a second, then rubbed his eyes and looked again. This time, all he saw was his own reflection. Timon continued to stare, wondering if he'd really seen what he thought he saw.

"Maybe Ma's right." he said to himself, "Maybe I should lay off the slugs for a while."

Timon walked back to Pumbaa, lay down next to him, and went back to sleep. He woke up early the next morning, still thinking about his father and how much he missed him. Pumbaa was still asleep and mumbling, "Grubs, grubs, grubs..."

Timon nudged him.

"Hey, Pumbaa, wake up."

"Grubs, grubs... huh? What's up, Timon?"

"Can ya give me a lift to our old home?" Timon asked, "I want to visit my Pop."

"Uh, okay." Pumbaa said, "Want me to get the others?"

"Hmmm… nah. Let's just let them sleep. I'll try to make it quick."

"All right then. Hop aboard."

Timon climbed onto Pumbaa's back and Pumbaa headed to the colony's old home. Timon's father; who was known as Fearless Buzz, was the former leader of the meerkat colony and the closest thing Timon had to a friend. Until he met Pumbaa, that is. The meerkats in the colony visited Buzz's grave often, but this time Timon wanted some quiet time alone with his father. Upon arriving, Pumbaa came to a stop and Timon jumped off.

"I'll wait for you here." Pumbaa said to Timon.

Timon walked over to his father's grave; which was marked by a large rock. There were flowers laid in front of it that had been put there by Timon's mother, Nina, during previous visits. Timon placed his hand on the rock and sighed.

"I wish you could be here, Pop." he said, "I found a home that I know you would've loved. A predator-free environment, where we never have to hide and grubs are everywhere."

Timon closed his eyes and felt a tear stream down his face as he remembered the tragic day when he lost his father.

(years ago)

_"Timon?" Nina called out, "Son, where are you?"_

_Finally, after a long search, she found him. He'd been chasing after a bug and accidentally followed it outside the tunnel. Just as he was about to grab the bug, he was suddenly grabbed by the tail and pulled away._

_"There you are!" said Nina, "Your father and I have been looking everywhere for you. What're you doing out here anyway? Don't you know it's dangerous out here?"_

_"I'm sorry, Ma. I just got a little hungry and went to get a snack."_

_"Well, you really should be more careful when chasing after grubs. Cause if you're not…"_

_Nina suddenly gasped._

_"What?" Timon asked, turning around._

_To their horror, a hyena was standing there._

_"Did I hear somebody say something about snacks?"_

_Nina grabbed Timon and ran towards the tunnel entrance. But the hyena ran ahead of them and jumped on top of it._

_"Going somewhere?" he said with a maniacal laugh._

_Suddenly, a rock hit the hyena in the head. Nina and the hyena turned to see Buzz standing a few feet away from them, grabbing a nearby stick. The hyena angrily jumped away from the tunnel entrance and lunged at Buzz; who dodged the attack and swung his stick at the hyena._

_"Take Timon and get outta here!" Buzz ordered Nina, "I'll take care of this."_

_"But Buzz…"_

_"Go!"_

_Nina nodded and ran to the tunnel with Timon in her arms._

_"Come on, punk!" Buzz yelled at the hyena, "Show me what you got!"_

_Meanwhile, inside the tunnels, Max was taking an emergency roll call._

_"Twitchy."_

_"Here."_

_"Twiggy."_

_"Here."_

_"Lefty."_

_"Here."_

_Max sighed with relief._

_"Good. Everyone's…wait… where's Buzz?"_

_"Well… umm… he's…" Nina started to say._

_"Don't tell me. He's up there fighting the hyena, isn't he?"_

_Nina nodded. Max sighed and shook his head in response._

_"The crazy fool." he mumbled to himself, "Why Dad chose __**him**__ as his successor, I'll never know."_

_"Ma, is Pop gonna be okay?" Timon asked Nina._

_"I don't know, sweetie." Nina replied._

_"Iron Joe, take a look and see how he's doing up there." Max ordered. _

_"Got it." Joe replied._

_Joe climbed out the tunnel entrance and looked around._

_"Do you see him?" Max asked._

_"No, I… wait, hold on. Okay, I got a clear visual on Buzz now. He's… he's kicking that hyena's butt!"_

_The other meerkats were shocked, yet relieved._

_"He did it! The hyena's retreating!"_

_The meerkats cheered in response. However, Buzz's victory would soon be short-lived._

_Iron Joe suddenly gasped and cried, "Oh no!"_

_"What?" Max asked, "What's wrong?"_

_"Buzz, run for it!" Joe shouted to Buzz, "Get in here, quick! Wait, what're you doing?! Oh, my…"_

_Joe climbed back down into the tunnel, shaking in fear._

_"What's going on out there?" Max asked him._

_"There are… more hyenas coming, and Buzz… he's…"_

_"He's what?"_

_"He's taking them all on. By himself!"_

_**"WHAT?!"**_

_Finally after what seemed like an eternity, everyone heard the sound of hyenas running away. Then there was silence._

_"I think they're gone." said Nina._

_Everyone waited, but Buzz wasn't coming back. _

_"Where's Pop?" asked Timon._

_Max turned to Joe; who was still shaking._

_"I… I can't!" Joe cried, "I just can't look!"_

_"Maybe we should just keep waiting." Max said, "He's bound to come back soon."_

_As the meerkats continued waiting, none of them noticed Timon running out of the tunnel. Timon looked around outside, but couldn't see his father. He climbed out and started calling to him. Finally, he saw Buzz; who was breathing heavily and holding a now-broken stick in front of a dazed hyena._

_"Had enough yet?" Buzz taunted him._

_The hyena got up on his feet and shook his head._

_"No, please! No more!" he cried._

_He then turned around, ran after his pack mates, and shouted, "Wait for me!"_

_"Pop?" Timon called to Buzz._

_Buzz dropped the stick and slowly turned around. Timon gasped in horror. Buzz had been terribly wounded during the battle. He had cuts, scars, and bruises along with fur missing from different areas of his body. Yet still, he had managed to hold his ground. Buzz slowly limped towards Timon. Then he suddenly stopped and fell over backwards. Timon ran up to Buzz and shook him._

_"Pop! Pop, wake up! Pop! Get up, Pop! Pop!"_

_"Timon?" a voice called from out of the tunnel, "Where are you?"_

_"There he is!"_

_It was Max and Nina. Timon paid no attention to them as they ran up to him._

_"Timon, what are you doing back out here?" said Max, "What have we told you about sneaking out of…"_

_He and Nina suddenly stopped and gasped._

_"Buzz!"_

_"No…!" cried Nina._

(present)

Pumbaa walked up to Timon; who was now crying harder. He sat down next to Timon, patted his back with one front hoof, and used the other one to catch a leaf that was floating by in the air. Then he handed the leaf to Timon; who blew his nose on it and handed it back. Grimacing in disgust, Pumbaa reluctantly took it and tossed it aside.

"Okay, I'm done." Timon said, standing up and wiping his eyes, "Let's go."

Shortly along the way back to the oasis, Pumbaa felt his stomach rumbling.

"Hey, Timon," he said, "I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry."

"Yeah, me too. Let's go see if there's any grubs around."

Timon and Pumbaa split up and began searching the area for bugs. Timon searched hard for several minutes, but couldn't find anything. Finally, as he was about to give up, he spotted a scorpion climbing up a boulder. Licking his lips, he snuck up to the rock and started to climb it.

"Pumbaa?" Timon called softly, turning his head around.

Pumbaa was nowhere to be seen. Shrugging, Timon climbed to the top of the rock, ready to bite off the scorpion's claws and stinger. But just as he was about to make his move, he suddenly heard a scream. Startled, he fell backwards off the rock.

"Ow! Great." he said, sitting up and rubbing his back, "I **almost** had that one!"

Timon glared toward the scream and suddenly gasped at what he saw. A female meerkat was being chased by a hyena. Taking a good look at her, Timon noticed to his surprise that she bore a striking resemblance to the girl that he'd been seeing in his dreams. She had the same green eyes, dark brown hair, and glossy fur. She was real after all. Soon, the hyena had her cornered against a boulder.

Summoning all of his courage, Timon thought, _'I __**can't**__ let her die! I've gotta do something!'_

He then picked up a nearby rock and ran towards the hyena as fast as he could. The girl began shaking as the hyena licked his lips, ready to devour her. With all of his might, Timon threw the rock at the hyena and managed to hit him right in the nose.

"Ow! Hey, who did that?!" the hyena shouted, rubbing his nose and turning his head.

"Didn't anyone teach you that that's no way to treat a lady?" Timon shouted back at him.

The hyena looked at the girl, then back at Timon.

"You look bigger and meatier anyway." he said.

In his mind, Timon began to ask himself if he was crazy. But something deep down inside him told him to be brave.

"You want this meat? Come and get it!"

"Don't mind if I do."

The hyena jumped towards Timon and snapped his jaws at him; but Timon dodged the attack, grabbed onto the hyena's front leg, and bit him hard.

"OW!" the hyena screamed, "Why, you...!"

The hyena lifted his leg and snapped his jaws again at the meerkat. But Timon quickly let go and fell onto the ground, causing the hyena to bite his own leg.

"**YEOW!** Ooh! Ow! Ow!"

Standing up, Timon picked some loose hyena fur from his teeth and ran towards the nearby boulder. He then turned around, stuck his thumbs in his ears, and blew a raspberry at the hyena; who furiously lunged at him again. Timon jumped to the side, and the hyena crashed into the rock. As the hyena rubbed his head, Timon grabbed a nearby stick and struck him in the head with it.

"You know, I've met some dumb hyenas in my life, but you take the termite, pal!"

Before Timon could strike him again, the hyena swiped a paw at Timon, knocking him on his back. He then grabbed the stick in his mouth and threw it far out of Timon's reach. Then he glared at Timon and growled deeply.

"Really. And just how dumb am I?"

Timon gulped.

"Uhh... hey, what's that behind you?" he said, pointing.

As the hyena turned around, Timon shouted "Just as dumb as you look!" and ran as fast as his feet would carry him. Just as he started running out of breath, he noticed that he was heading towards the edge of a canyon. He just barely managed to stop in the nick of time. One more step and he would've taken a dive. Trembling with fear, he slowly turned around. Sure enough, the hyena was right there. Timon had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

"I gotta admit you hurt me pretty bad, you stupid little meerkat punk!" the hyena said, "But now I got ya cornered. There ain't no way you can escape now."

Timon could feel sweat pouring down his body like a waterfall. Now he was the one who needed help. Suddenly, Timon thought of one last idea. It was a longshot, but it was worth a try.

"Any last words?"

"Just one." Timon said, "**PUMBAAAAA!!!!!!**"

Timon had never yelled so loud in his life. It was so loud that birds flew away in fear, from miles away. The hyena had to cover his ears with his paws to keep from going deaf.

"What, you trying to make me lose my hearing as a last mode of defense?!"

_'No go.' _Timon thought, _'Now what do I do?'_

"Hey! You leave my friend alone!" a voice said.

Timon and the hyena turned towards the voice. Pumbaa had come after all. Instantly, Timon's fear melted away.

"Who's the pig?" the hyena asked.

Upon hearing this, Pumbaa glared at the hyena and said, "Are you talkin' to me?"

"Ooh, you're in trouble now." Timon said.

"Are you talkin' to **me**?!"

"You're gonna get it."

"ARE YOU TALKING TO **ME?!**"

"Here it comes!"

"THEY CALL ME... **MISTER PIG!**"

Timon stepped aside and ducked for cover, as Pumbaa charged towards the hyena. Pumbaa butted the hyena with so much force that he flew backwards, all the way off the edge. When Timon looked up again, he saw the hyena clinging to the edge by his paws and desperately trying to get back up. Thinking quickly, Timon grabbed another rock and smashed the hyena's paws with it until the hyena had no choice but to let go. Timon and Pumbaa watched as the hyena fell down the chasm, screaming until he hit the ground.

"Ooh, that had to hurt!" said Pumbaa.

Timon didn't say anything. He just dropped the rock and continued to stare, unable to believe what he had just done. Not only had he survived an encounter with a hyena. He had also defeated him.

"You okay, Timon?"

Timon could've kissed Pumbaa, this time on purpose. But he suppressed the urge and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Now let's scram."

Just as Timon was about to climb onto Pumbaa's back, the two of them heard a voice say, "Hey."

Pumbaa and Timon turned towards the voice. Standing there was the female meerkat that Timon had just saved the life of. During the chase, he'd completely forgotten about her.

"Is he gone?" she asked.

"Oh, the hyena?" Timon said, "Yeah, he's pushin' up the daisies now."

The girl looked over the edge of the canyon. Then she ran up to Timon and hugged him hard.

"Thank you so much!" she cried.

"Oh, it was... uh... nothin'."

"Who's this, Timon?" Pumbaa asked.

"Ummm..."

"My name's Zina."

"Zina. I'm Timon and this is my pal, Pumbaa. So… you need a ride home?"

Zina hesitated.

"I... don't have one… anymore." she said.

"You mean you're all alone?" Pumbaa asked.

"Well, I used to be part of a small meerkat colony. But about a year ago, that hyena found us and… he…"

A tear streamed down Zina's eye.

"I… I don't want to say!"

Getting the hint, Timon patted her back as she started to weep.

"That's terrible!" said Pumbaa.

"Yeah, sorry to hear about that." added Timon.

"Maybe she could stay with us at the oasis." Pumbaa said to Timon.

"Hey, I got an idea!" Timon said, "Maybe you could stay with us at our home."

Zina looked up at Timon.

"Really? You wouldn't mind?"

"Well, I'd have to convince my uncle to let you stay. It won't be easy, but I'll try."

Pumbaa lowered his head for Timon and Zina to climb on. Timon motioned for Zina to go first. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Zina climbed aboard and said, "Thank you." Timon then got on after her.

"By the way, Pumbaa," he said, "You didn't happen to find any grubs, did you?"

"Uhh… no. Did you?"

Well, I found a scorpion, but then I kinda got distracted. No offense, Zina."

"Oh." Pumbaa said, disappointed, "Well, I guess we'll have to wait till we get home before we can eat."

"I could help you get some." said Zina, "I kinda have a knack for finding and disarming scorpions."

"You don't say." Timon said, "Well, I think we'll have to take a rain check on that. We should get home quick before anyone notices that we're gone."

"Okay. How about tomorrow then? If I'm allowed to stay."

"Alrighty. It's a date."

"Huh?"

"Err… I said… that'd be great!"

"Oh. All right then."

When Zina wasn't looking, Timon softly sighed with relief. He didn't know who he thought he'd seen in the water the night before, but he had a strong feeling that he should follow that person's advice and take his time.

---

Meanwhile, at a hyena's den, three hyenas sat waiting for their friend to return with some food. There was a male named Lakota, a female named Akili, and another male named Brutus.

"Where can Dakota be?" Lakota asked impatiently, "I'm starving over here!"

"Don't ask me." replied Akili, "He's your brother. For all I know, he could be still trying to find that young meerkat that got away from him last year."

"You really think he'd be that desperate?"

"Knowing his appetite, yes."

Just as Akili was about to elaborate further on that, the three of them heard another hyena running towards them.

"That could be him now." said Brutus.

"Lakota!" the new hyena shouted, panting.

"Oh, nevermind. It's just Bob."

Lakota sighed and said, "What do you want, Bob?"

"You're not gonna believe this," Bob said, "but Dakota's dead!"

"Yes, that's nice. Now why don't you make yourself useful and go catch us some- **WHAT?!**"

"It's true! I saw it with my own eyes!"

Lakota glared at him and said, "You better not be joking, or I'm gonna slap you so hard…"

"No joke, I swear!"

Lakota slapped him anyway.

"Ow! Hey, I said it wasn't a joke!"

"I don't buy it." said Brutus, "Why don't you prove it to us?"

"Well, come on then. I'll show you."

Lakota sighed again.

"All right, let's go." he said.

---

To be continued


	2. An Unpleasant Meeting

**Chapter 2 – An Unpleasant Meeting**

---

"It means no worries." said Pumbaa.

"I see." Zina replied, "And you call it what again? Hakuna…?"

"Matata." said Timon, "We're almost there."

Timon, Zina, and Pumbaa were now a short distance away from the jungle oasis. Timon had his hands over Zina's eyes. Finally, they arrived and Timon moved his hands away.

"Okay, here we are." he said, "Welcome to our home."

Zina opened her eyes and gasped with excitement at what she saw.

"Wow!" she said, "This is amazing!"

"But true." Pumbaa replied.

As Timon and Zina climbed off Pumbaa's back, they all heard a nearby voice shout, **"TIMON!"**

"…Pumbaa, am I the only one who just heard Uncle Max yell my name?" Timon asked.

"Uh… no." Pumbaa replied, "I heard it too. I guess they noticed we were gone."

"Ho boy, I'm in trouble."

The three of them turned towards the voice and found Max and Nina walking towards them.

"Where have you two been?!" Max shouted, "The whole colony's been looking everywhere for..."

Max stared at Zina.

"Look, I'm sorry, Uncle Max. I was just-"

"And who is this?!" Max interrupted.

"Well, she was part of another colony that was-"

"A rogue! You don't think I got enough problems?! Get out of here! You're not welcome in-"

Fed up with being interrupted, Timon clenched his fists in anger.

"Now you wait just a minute, Interrupter Jones!" he snapped back, pointing his finger at Max, "Her colony was completely wiped out by hyenas and she doesn't have anywhere else to go!"

"That doesn't make her part of this colony."

"Aw, Max, have a heart." Nina said.

"Et tu, Nina?! You know how much trouble rogues are!"

"Come on, give her a break. She's got no family left and we've got plenty of room. Why don't you just let her stay here for a little while? Just until she can find another place to live."

Sighing, Max turned around and started grumbling to himself. Finally, he turned back and said to Zina, "All right. You can stay for a while. But you keep out of my way and don't cause any trouble around here. You got that? I'll be watching you."

Max then turned to Timon and said, "You better make sure she doesn't cause any trouble around here."

Timon watched Max leave, then slowly started to pant. Pumbaa just stared back, almost afraid to speak.

"Sorry about him." Nina told Zina, "He's rarely ever in a good mood."

"Well **unfortunately**, you've just met my Uncle Max." Timon said to Zina, "This is my mother. Ma, meet Zina."

"Pleased to meet you." Zina said, shaking her hand, "Timon's told me a bit about his and Pumbaa's adventures. Did you really help King Simba by outsmarting an entire pack of hyenas at Pride Rock?"

"Ah, yes." Nina said, "I can still see my Timmy bravely running past the hyenas, jumping into the hole, and setting off the trap. I was so proud of him when he came out."

"There'll be more time to talk about our exploits later." Timon said, "Come on, let's get some breakfast and then I'll show you around."

Nina waved to Pumbaa, Timon, and Zina as they walked off.

"Well, that could've gone..." Pumbaa started to say.

Timon hastily covered Pumbaa's mouth.

"Don't say it, Pumbaa," he said, "or it might **get** worse!"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

---

The hyenas stared over the edge of the canyon in disbelief. At the bottom was Dakota; who was dead as a doornail.

"There, you see?" Bob said.

"Let me get this straight." Lakota said to Bob, "A puny little meerkat knocked Dakota off the edge and down the chasm?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true! I saw it happen!"

"And you did nothing to stop it?" Akili asked incredulously.

"Well, the meerkat had a warthog helping him and you know how bad warthogs smell."

"A meerkat who hangs out with warthogs?" said Brutus, "Yeah, right."

"Wait, you say he had a warthog with him?" Lakota asked.

"Uh-huh."

"That sounds like… Timon and Pumbaa."

"Who?" Brutus asked.

"You know. That meerkat and warthog duo; who fought against us and Scar at Pride Rock, years ago."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about them."

"Well, Scar really wasn't a good king anyway." said Akili, "We were actually better off under Mufasa."

"That may be true." said Lakota, "But I'm not letting Timon or Pumbaa get away with killing my brother."

"Well, what are you gonna do?" Bob asked.

"I'll find them. And when I do, I'll eat them."

---

To be continued


	3. Mutual Feelings

**Chapter 3 – Mutual Feelings**

--

Timon and Zina laughed together at the joke that Timon told her.

"I love elephant jokes." Zina said.

"Well, I've got one more. How do you stop an elephant from charging?"

"Oh, that one again!" said Pumbaa.

"I don't know. How?"

"Take away his credit card!"

Timon and Zina laughed again.

"Please stop! You're killing me!" Zina cried.

Zina and Timon were riding Pumbaa back to the oasis after a long scorpion hunt. They had managed to catch a number of scorpions; which they had placed on a large leaf and covered with another one. Pumbaa was carrying their catches on his snout. Timon was already starting to like Zina. Not only was she good at catching scorpions, but she also had a good sense of humor. They approached Swifty, Stumpy, Flinchy, and Max; who were finishing up a bug volleyball game. Nina was acting as the referee. A few other meerkats were watching the game.

Stumpy tried to spike the bug over the net, but Max jumped up and blocked it. Luckily for Stumpy though, Swifty quickly ran towards the bug and hit it back into the air. Stumpy then jumped up and hit it again. Shocked by the speed in which the bug was heading towards him, Flinchy flinched and the bug hit the ground right in front of him.

"And that's the match point." said Nina, "Final score: Swifty and Stumpy with fifteen, and Max and Flinchy with thirteen."

As the spectators applauded and Stumpy and Swifty slapped high-fours, Flinchy snapped his fingers and said, "Dang it!"

Max turned to Flinchy, shook his head, and said, "You flinched when…"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I should've scurried."

Everyone then noticed Pumbaa, Timon, and Zina approaching. Timon and Zina jumped off Pumbaa; who lowered his head, setting the cargo on the ground.

"Whatcha got there, Timon?" Nina asked.

"Oh, just a rare delicacy that's not often found here." Timon replied.

He pulled off the top leaf, revealing a small pile of scorpions with their stingers severed.

"Anyone care for some disarmed scorpion?" Zina asked.

The other meerkats gasped with excitement.

"Did she say 'scorpion?'" Swifty asked excitedly.

"Wow!" Nina said, "Look at the size of those things! How'd you get them?"

"Well, much of the credit goes to Zina." said Pumbaa, "She found and disarmed them for us. Then we brought them here."

Timon nodded and said, "Have at it, everyone."

As everyone else began to feast on the scorpions, Max simply walked away and said, "None for me, thanks."

"I thought scorpion was your favorite, Uncle Max."

"I'm just not very hungry right now."

The others looked at each other and shrugged.

"Suit yourself." said Stumpy, "More for us."

Zina was the only one who noticed Max pick up the bug that was used to play the volleyball game, and take a bite out of it. She looked down and sighed.

--

"…and exhale." said Max.

The meerkats slowly exhaled and lowered their arms to their sides.

"You do this stuff often?" Timon asked Zina.

"Mm-hmm." she replied, "Since I was a pup."

Timon and Zina were participating in Max's yoga class. Max had been trying his best to ignore Zina's presence, but couldn't help noticing how well she seemed to be doing. And if there was one thing he appreciated about her so far, it was that she was able to help Timon; who was having a bit of trouble in the class.

"Alright, now crane position." Max went on, "Arms up."

_'Finally a position I remember how to do.'_ Timon thought.

Max and the other meerkats raised their arms straight out to the sides. Max then raised his arms up to the sky with his palms down and the others followed.

"The crane spreads its wings." he said, lowering his arms to the sides and lifting his right foot.

Then he turned to the left and lifted his arms to the sky, while saying, "Turns with dainty hands."

The other meerkats did as he did. Timon was doing fine now, but another meerkat wasn't quite doing it right. He had his palms up and was standing on the wrong foot.

"I got it. I got it." he said softly to himself.

He tried to turn, but moved too quickly fell over in the process.

"I don't got it."

Max sighed.

"Tony, Tony, Tony!" he mumbled to himself, "When is that kid gonna get it right? Even Timon can do it better, and he's about as good at this as he was at digging."

"I heard that!" Timon shouted back.

Tony got up and dusted himself off.

"Here, like this." Zina said, showing him, "Keep your palms **down** and lift your **right** foot."

Tony tried again, doing it the way she said.

"Now turn **slowly**."

This time, Tony was able to turn without falling.

"Oh! I get it now!" he said, "Thanks."

_'Hmmph. Okay, she's good at this. I'll give her that.'_ Max thought.

As the class ended later that evening, the meerkats went off to find some cozy places to sleep.

"Hey," Timon said to Zina, "thanks for helping me out. I'm still kinda new at it."

"Oh, no problem." she said.

"So, uhh… you gonna come to next week's class?"

"If your uncle doesn't force me to leave by then, sure."

"Don't hold your breath!" Max shouted to them.

Timon put his hand on Zina's shoulder and said, "Don't listen to him. You'll win him over somehow."

"Thanks." Zina said, "Well, good night."

"Sleep tight. Oh, and dream of bedbugs tonight."

_'Mmmm… bedbugs!'_ Zina thought.

Timon watched her walk off, then let out a happy sigh.

"You know, I really like her." he said to another male meerkat; who was passing him by.

"That new Gina girl?" the other meerkat asked.

"Her name's **Zina**. And yes."

"Hmmm… well, she is kinda cute. And she did catch some good scorpions. Good luck winning her heart."

Timon smirked and said, "Thanks."

Meanwhile, as Zina looked around for a place to sleep, another female meerkat passed by and glanced at her.

"You seem pretty happy." she said.

"Well, yeah." Zina replied, "I love this place."

"Who doesn't? But I think it's more than that. You've got a crush on someone, don't you?"

Zina sighed and said, "If you really must know, yes. It's Timon."

"…Really?"

"Yes. I think he's funny, he's sweet, he knows how to have a good time, and he invited me here."

"Well, he has also been looking for a mate. Not many of us are available after all. Good luck at winning his heart."

Zina smirked and said, "Thanks."

--

To be continued


	4. A Rescue and a Change of Heart

**Chapter 4 – A Rescue and a Change of Heart**

--

Zina yawned and stretched as she woke up the next morning. She lay there in the cozy grass, looking up at the sky with a smile on her face.

_'The morning sky looks so beautiful here.' _she thought, _'I just wish I could enjoy this sight every day.'_

Zina continued looking up at the sky until her stomach began to encourage her to feed it. She then got up, walked over to a rotting log, and lifted it. Licking her lips at the sight of all the delicious-looking bugs underneath the log; she picked one up, popped it into her mouth, and chewed with delight.

"Mmmmm… cream-filled." she said to herself.

Zina swallowed the bug and picked up another one. As she bit the head off, she overheard two male meerkats talking nearby.

"Whattaya think of that new girl?"

"She's alright I guess. I mean, she hasn't done anything wrong."

"Yeah, you'd think Max would like her better. She did help Tony and Timon get better at his yoga class. And did you see those scorpions she caught yesterday?"

"Yeah! Those things were huge! And mighty tasty. She sure knows how to pick 'em."

Zina grinned, happy to know that there were some around that appreciated her efforts. She then put the rest of the bug in her mouth and started to chew it.

"By the way, did you know Timon's got the hots for her?"

Zina swallowed hard, nearly choking after hearing that.

"You serious?"

"Yeah. He told me last night that he really likes her."

"Wow. Well, for Timon's sake, I hope Max lets her stay."

"Yeah. Want to go do some bungee jumping now?"

"Sure."

The two friends walked off, not knowing that Zina had heard them talking.

_'Timon likes me too?'_ she thought.

After munching on a few more bugs, she decided to find Timon and talk to him. She'd only gone a short distance when she heard his voice in the air, shouting with excitement. Looking up, she saw him landing in a tree branch with one end of a leaf in each hand.

"Oh, hi, Zina." he said, waving to her.

"Hi Timon. What're you doing up there?"

"Oh, this? It's called parachuting. You just take hold of each end of the leaf like this, and jump."

Timon then jumped off the branch, slowly floating to the ground.

"Yee-"

Suddenly, one end of the leaf slipped out of Timon's hand and he started falling.

"-haaaaaaah!"

Luckily, Timon landed in the soft grass and wasn't seriously hurt. Zina ran up to him.

"You okay, Timon?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Timon replied, sitting up, "Maybe a little bruised, but I don't think anything's broken."

Zina started to help him up.

"Whoa, careful! I'm ticklish."

Timon slapped his hand over his mouth after saying that.

"Oh, you are." Zina said, slowly moving around him.

"No, wait! I didn't- meheeheeheeheean it! Stop! Hahahaha!"

Timon laughed uncontrollably as Zina started tickling him. After a while, Swifty wandered by.

"Excuse me," he said, "have either of you seen my son? His name's Gus and he's about this tall. I think he was playing near the water earlier, but now I can't find him."

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen him." Zina said.

"Me neither." added Timon.

"Oh. Well, thanks anyway."

Swifty walked away, calling out to Gus. Timon then took that moment to strike back at Zina with a tickling attack of his own.

"Hey, what're- yaahahahahaha! Quit it!" Zina cried.

"So, you're ticklish too, huh? I might've guessed."

"Mahahahahaybe, but I'll bet yohohohohou're more ticklish than me!"

Zina and Timon rolled around in the grass, keeping up their tickle fight. After a while, Zina was able to pin Timon face down on the ground. Holding him down with her knees, she took his foot and started tickling it. Timon burst into wild laughter as he struggled to free himself.

"Hey, nohohohoho fair! Not the feeheeheeheet, please! Hahaha!"

Zina suddenly stopped when she heard a small voice cry out, "Help!"

"What was that?" she said.

"What?" Timon asked.

"Help!"

Timon then recognized that voice.

"Hey, that sounded like… Gus!"

Timon and Zina got up and ran towards the scream. They soon found themselves near a waterfall; where Swifty, Sherri, and a few other meerkats were gathered. Not long afterwards, they saw a young meerkat in the water, struggling to keep from drowning.

"Help!" he cried, "Mama! Papa!"

Sherri gasped and shouted, "My baby!"

"I'll save him!" Zina shouted.

Before anyone could say or do anything, Zina jumped into the water. Everyone watched nervously as she swam towards Gus. Suddenly, Gus couldn't take it any longer and fell beneath the water. But Zina wasn't giving up. She dove into the water and emerged with him in one arm. Gus coughed as Zina swam towards the shore as fast as she could. Shortly afterwards, Max appeared with Pumbaa and the rest of the meerkats.

"What's going on here?" Max asked.

"My baby's in the river!" cried Sherri, "And she's saving him!"

Max looked and saw Zina and Gus nearing the shore.

"Swifty, get me a stick!" said Stumpy.

Swifty nodded and ran off. Less than two seconds later, he came back in a flash, with a long stick. He gave it to Stumpy; who held it out to Zina and shouted, "Here! Grab on!"

Zina grabbed the stick with her free hand and held on as hard as she could. With his amazing strength, Stumpy pulled Zina and Gus out of the water and set them down on the ground. Then as the other meerkats cheered and applauded, Zina let go of the stick and handed Gus to Sherri; who hugged him hard.

"Gus!" she cried, "Thank goodness you're okay."

"Thank you, Zina, for saving our son." said Swifty.

"Thank you, Ms. Zina." said Gus.

"You're very welcome." Zina replied with a smile.

"Wow, Zina! You're a real hero." Pumbaa said.

Not wanting to talk about his failed attempt to save young Simba; who wasn't really in danger of drowning at the time, Timon just smiled and nodded. Zina blushed in response. Max just stood there watching for a few seconds, then as Zina glanced in his direction, he turned around and walked away.

--

Timon and Pumbaa, exhausted from another long day of doing nothing, began dozing off into naps. Timon had just begun to sleep, when he overheard two female meerkats talking nearby.

"…and then she just dove right in and got him out of the water."

"Yeah. Max has **got** to let her stay after a heroic deed like that."

Timon grinned at the thought of Zina staying with them.

"By the way, did you know she's got the hots for Timon?"

Timon's eyes sprang open when he heard that.

"You serious?"

"Yeah. She said yesterday that she likes him. And get this. My mate told me today that Timon said the same thing about her."

"Oh, I know that. My mate told me that too."

Timon sighed and said to himself, "Twitchy, you big blabbermouth."

"Think he'll ever tell her?"

"I don't know."

Timon thought about it briefly. Then he nodded, jumped off Pumbaa, and walked up to them.

"Well, I guess I might as well. Seeing as how you two already know, and so do your mates and probably half of the colony by now. If you'll excuse me, ladies."

The two females watched Timon walk off, surprised that he had heard them. Then they looked at each other, shrugged, and went on their way. As Timon went to look for Zina, he heard a familiar-sounding voice say, "Don't get nervous like I did."

"I won't." Timon replied.

Shocked, he stopped walking and slowly turned towards the voice. Unable to see anyone, he scratched his head in confusion.

"Aw, who cares?" he said to himself, "My future mate awaits."

--

Max sat on a log, staring at the ground below him in deep thought. He was holding a small twig; which was a symbol of leadership and only carried by the acting leader of the colony.

"Max? What's wrong?"

Max turned his head and saw Nina walking up to him.

"I've been thinking." he said, "Maybe I was wrong about that new girl."

"Zina?"

"I was always taught that rogues were nothing but trouble, but she's been no trouble at all. In fact, I have to admit she's been a big help. So has Timon. And yet, I've been treating them both like dung. Maybe I should go make amends with them."

Nina, who was going to suggest the same thing, nodded. Max then looked at his stick.

"Speaking of Timon," he continued, "I've also been thinking about that promise I made to Buzz. I keep wondering if the time is right."

(years ago)

_"Aren't you gonna come with me?"_

_"No! Absolutely not!"_

_"Come on, Max! He could be in danger!"_

_"Well, he should've thought of that before he left. You want to find him, then by all means, go after him. I'm not going anywhere."_

_Nina sighed and started to leave. Then she stopped and went back to the tunnel._

_"I think I understand now why your father chose Buzz to lead the colony instead of you." she said to Max._

_With that, she continued on her way. Undaunted, Max continued with his work._

_"We're much better off without him around." he said to himself._

_"Is that really what you think?"_

_Startled by the voice, Max dropped the rock he was carrying and fell over backwards. When he looked up, he noticed a transparent figure approaching him. _

_"What the…? Who…?"_

_Soon, the figure came closer to him and Max recognized him._

_"…B-Buzz?!"_

_"You made a promise to me when I died, and I've been holding you to it ever since."_

_Max just stared at him, not knowing what to say._

_"If you find Timon, then __**I**__ can promise __**you**__ a better life for you and everyone else in the colony. It's your choice. Keep your promise to me and reap the rewards for your efforts, or stay here and continue digging and hiding for the rest of your life."_

_Finally, Max gave in._

_"You and I have disagreed on a lot of things, but I always cared for you as my brother." he said, "For that reason, I'll do it. And I'll hold you to your promise."_

_Max grabbed his stick and ran up to Stumpy._

_"Stumpy," he said, "I have to go somewhere. While I'm gone, you're in charge."_

_He handed the stick to Stumpy._

_"Okay…" Stumpy replied, taking the stick, "Where you going?"_

_"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."_

_With that, Max ran out one of the tunnel exits._

_"Nina! Wait up!" he cried, running up to her._

_Nina stopped and turned around._

_"I made a promise to my brother." Max said to her, "And I intend to keep it. Now let's go find Timon."_

(present)

"Buzz was right about what he promised me." Max said softly to himself, "Even if it did take a while for it to happen. And I suppose I am getting old."

He took another look at the stick and then nodded.

"If you'll excuse me," he said to Nina, "I've got some apologies to make and a promise to fulfill."

As Max left, Nina smiled and said to herself, "This is getting easy."

--

Lakota gasped and coughed as he emerged from under the water. With his poor swimming skills, he barely managed to climb out of the river. Days of searching for the jungle oasis; where Timon and Pumbaa supposedly lived, had seemed to be a big waste of his time.

"Bob, you moron!" he said, as he shook the water off his fur, "That's the last time I listen to **you**! Lush tropical oasis, my… huh?"

Suddenly, he noticed to his surprise that he was standing in front of the jungle oasis.

"Well, shut my mouth. This place really does exist after all."

Lakota grinned and then licked his lips.

"Well then, let's just see if warthog and meerkat are still on the menu."

--

To be continued


	5. Lovers at Last

**Chapter 5 – Lovers at Last**

---

Zina sat by a lake, looking at her reflection. After a while, she put her arms on her knees and buried her face in her arms.

"Hey, Zina."

Zina looked up.

"Oh, hi, Timon."

She buried her face again as Timon sat down next to her.

"Somethin' the matter?" he asked.

Zina sighed as she raised her head again.

"I just keep thinking about my father and my brother." she said, "They were the only family I ever had. I really miss them."

"You mean you weren't part of a colony?" Timon asked.

Zina shook her head.

"My father never did believe in living underground. He thought it was a coward's way of living. So we basically roamed around looking for grubs and sleeping wherever it was safe. Then one day, we had an encounter with that hyena. We all split up and tried to hide, but he eventually found me. My father saw him go for me and attacked him. Then my brother went to help him. He told me to run and save myself. I should've helped them, but I… I just ran. When I looked back, I… I saw…"

Zina sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye. Timon put his hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to go on if you don't want to." he said.

Zina shook her head again.

"I know exactly how you feel." Timon continued, "My Pop was killed by hyenas when I was young too. And he didn't like having to hide from predators either. I guess that's another thing we have in common."

Zina slowly started to calm down.

"I bet both of our dads would've made good friends if they'd ever met." she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Timon just grinned at the thought.

"Timon, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about."

"Yeah? What's that?" Timon asked.

"I overheard some of the guys talking this morning. About you. And… me. They said that you... umm..."

"That I'm in with love you?"

"Yes! How did you...?"

"I heard the girls say the same thing about you. And you know what? The guys were right. You're the most beautiful meerkat I've ever laid eyes on. Not only that, but you're the best at catching scorpions. Plus, you're one of the few who actually laughs at my jokes. Not to mention the things you've done for the others here. I love you, Zina."

Zina couldn't believe her ears. No one but her father and brother had ever told her that they loved her before. Timon also couldn't believe how easily he had just said all that.

"Then the girls were right too. You're sweet, you've got a good sense of humor, you saved my life and avenged my family, and you brought me here. I love you, Timon."

Timon slowly brought his muzzle close to hers, then they kissed.

_'I did it!'_ Timon thought, _'I really did it! I won! Can this really be happening? Or is it just another dream? Aw, who cares? Even if it's just a dream, at least I got this far.'_

It was long before they pulled away from the kiss. Afterwards, they both looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds, then held each other in a loving embrace.

"I wish I could stay here with you forever." Zina said with a sigh, "But I can't stay much longer. Not with your uncle around."

"Now wait a minute. He never actually said that you had to leave. Did he?"

"No. But I just know he will soon. He still doesn't like me or appreciate anything I've done."

"Well, don't worry. You'll get to stay. If Uncle Max ever tries to make you leave, I'll convince him to back down and let you stay. And I won't give up."

Zina smiled and kissed Timon on the cheek. They continued to hold each other, until Zina noticed Max walking towards them.

"Oh no." she said, "He's coming."

"Uncle Max?"

Zina nodded.

"He's gonna make me leave now. I just know it."

Timon just kept holding her and whispered in her ear, "No matter what he says, don't let me let you go."

"Timon, Zina, I want to talk to you." Max said.

"Does she really have to leave **NOW?!**" Timon said, not even looking at him, "She hasn't caused any trouble."

"No, Timon. That's not at all what I wanted to say."

Surprised by Max's calm tone of voice and curious as to what he wanted to talk to them about, Timon and Zina slowly turned to face him.

"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for being so ungrateful. You've both done so much more for the colony than I could ever have done, and yet I've never even thanked you for any of it."

Timon thought at first that Max was joking, but looking in his eyes; he could see the sincerity in them.

"Zina, I'm sorry for treating you like a pile of dung. You're welcome to stay here as long as you like."

"Really?" Zina said, "Th-thank you!"

"And Timon," Max continued, "this may be difficult for you to believe, but I've always loved you. You're the closest thing to a son that I've ever had. I'm just sorry I never proved it very well. Will you ever forgive me?"

Timon shed a single tear before walking over to Max and hugging him. Smiling, Max returned the hug. This time, he was gentle and didn't choke Timon with his hug.

"I love you too, Uncle Max."

Noticing the stick in Max's hand, Timon thought, _'Why'd he bring his stick?'_

"There's one more thing I wanted to tell you." Max said, after pulling away, "Something that I've been..."

Max suddenly looked up and shouted, "**LOOK OUT!**"

He then pushed a startled Timon to the ground, right before being grabbed by a hyena's jaws!

"Uncle Max!" Timon shouted.

Timon and Zina stared back in horror. Lakota had found Timon and made a grab for him, but unknowingly got Max instead. As Max struggled to escape Lakota's jaws, Timon ran to Lakota's leg and scratched him hard with his small, but sharp claws. Lakota screamed in pain and dropped Max; who lay still on the ground. Upon overhearing the commotion, Pumbaa and the other meerkats came out to see what was going on. Lakota glared at Timon and growled, until he noticed Pumbaa and the other meerkats approaching. Thinking that they were about to attack him, he then made a run for it.

"You ain't seen the last of me!" he shouted, "I'll be back in three days with reinforcements! Taste ya later!"

The other meerkats and Pumbaa all stared back, unable to believe what had just happened.

"A hyena!" said Pumbaa, "How did he find this place?"

"There's a different matter to be concerned about right now." Nina said, "Look."

Everyone looked in the direction that Nina was pointing, and gasped in horror at what they saw. Max was lying on the ground, scarcely breathing. Lakota's sharp teeth had punctured his flesh, creating a deep open wound. With one hand, Max was desperately trying to hold in the blood. Timon and Zina were kneeling beside him.

"Uncle Max, are you alright?" cried Timon, "Speak to me, please!"

Max slowly lifted his head and coughed as he spoke.

"I... don't think... I'm gonna make it." he said.

"No, don't do this! Hang in there!"

"Timon... what I was... gonna tell you earlier..."

Max slowly picked up his stick with his free hand and handed it to Timon.

"Here." he said, "Take it. You're the new leader."

"What?! Me?! But-"

"But nothing, Timon! It's... what your father… wanted."

Max's head fell to the ground and he slowly closed his eyes for the last time. Zina put her hand to Max's throat to check for a pulse, then looked at Timon and shook her head. Timon held Max's lifeless body close as tears began to fall from his eyes. It wasn't fair. He had just made amends with Max. Why did Max have to die now, of all times? Soon, Timon felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to find his mother there behind him. Timon threw his arms around Nina and continued to cry. Pumbaa and the other meerkats lowered their heads. Some of them, including Pumbaa, started to cry along with Timon.

"Max will be missed." Nina said, "But at least he died saving you and keeping his promise to your father."

Timon looked back up at her.

"Huh? What promise?"

"You remember how your father used to be the leader of our colony, right?"

Timon nodded and wiped his eyes with his hand.

"Well, he wanted you to be his successor when you were old enough."

Nina lowered her head.

"But when he died..." she continued, "you were still very young. So your uncle Max took over, promising to let you be the new leader when the time was right."

(Years ago)

_"__**Timon**__ your successor?! Tell me you're joking."_

_"Come on, Max." Buzz said, "I know he's not the best at digging and occasionally gets involved in accidents, but some day he'll get better. In fact, I just know that he'll be a great hero some day. All the other meerkats in the colony will salute him and sing praises about him. You'll see."_

_Suddenly, the dirt above them started to crack. Then it crashed down on them. Not long afterwards, Timon walked up._

_"Sorry, Pop." he said, "I accidentally knocked over one of the sticks. I didn't mean it, honest."_

_"It's alright, Son." Buzz told him, "Go help your mother fix dinner or something. I'll take care of this."_

_After Timon left, Buzz turned to the other meerkats; who were dusting themselves off._

_"My fault, everyone." he said, "Sorry about that. I assure you, it'll never happen again."_

_"For your own sake, Buzz," Max said, dusting himself off, "I hope you're right about him."_

(Months later)

_Timon knelt by Buzz's lifeless body, crying his eyes out._

_"Daddy!" he wailed._

_Nina took the sobbing pup in her arms and carried him to the tunnel, patting his back as tears fell from her eyes as well._

_"Nina," Max said, "Get Stumpy and Twiggy. We've got a grave to dig."_

_Nina nodded in response and climbed into the hole. Max then looked down at Buzz's body._

_"I hope you understand, Buzz." he said, "Timon's still a pup. But you have my promise that when the time is right, I will pass the stick on to him."_

(present)

"Let me get this straight." Timon said, "I was next in line to become leader of the colony, and none of you ever told me?"

"Well, it did take us a long time to remember, because of… well, you know." said Swifty.

"And because of that, we didn't want to overexcite you." added Sherri.

"Hmmm… well, I guess I can understand that." Timon muttered.

"But that's pretty much the main reason why Max came with me when I went to find you." Nina said, "He remembered the promise he made to your father, and decided to keep it."

Timon looked at the stick and thought about his father.

"Well," he said, "if it's what Pop wanted, what Uncle Max wanted, and what you want, Ma… then I'll do it."

---

To be continued


	6. Averting a Mutiny

Author's note: For those of you saddened by Max's death in the previous chapter, I assure you that he will be avenged. I won't say how, but Lakota will get his comeuppance eventually. Anyhue, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

**Chapter 6 – Averting a Mutiny**

---

The next morning, Pumbaa nudged Timon; who was tossing and turning in his sleep.

"Timon, wake up!"

Timon screamed as he woke up.

"Yahh! It wasn't my fault!" he cried, "I swear! Huh?"

After seeing Pumbaa there with Zina on his back, and realizing that he'd been dreaming, Timon sighed with relief.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Zina asked.

"Oh, it was horrible, Zina! We had to go back to the tunnels, and I kept messing up at everything again! I don't know how much more of that dream I could take."

"Well, sorry to break it to you, Timon," said Pumbaa, "but I think that dream just might be coming true."

"…I beg your pardon?"

"The other meerkats are talking about leaving this place."

"They're **WHAT?!**"

"They're talking about…"

"I heard what you said, Pumbaa. That was a rhetorical question."

"Oh."

Timon hastily climbed onto Pumbaa's back.

"Take me over there, and step on it." he ordered Pumbaa.

Pumbaa saluted and said, "Yes, sir!"

Then he ran to the meeting place with Timon and Zina on his back. There, the other meerkats were gathered in front of a log. Flinchy was standing on that log and speaking to the crowd. As Pumbaa neared the log, Timon jumped onto it and walked up to Flinchy.

"…so I think we'd be best off going back to our old home and…"

"Whoa, now! Hold it! Time out!" Timon shouted, "Are you saying you want to leave this place behind and go back to tunnel digging?!"

"We have no choice. That hyena said he'd be back with reinforcements in three days."

"Now look here, Mister! Pumbaa and I risked our lives several times trying to find this place and we're **NOT** gonna give it up now!"

"Look, Timmy," Nina said, "we know how hard it was for you to find this place and we're grateful to you for bringing us here, but we can't stay much longer."

"Yeah, we'll never last long against those hyenas." said Flinchy, "Plus, Iron Joe used to be calm and relaxed when we first came here. Now look at him."

"They're gonna get us!" Joe cried, "They're gonna eat us! They got Buzz! They got Max! They're gonna-"

Stumpy grabbed Joe and shook him.

"CALM DOWN! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" he shouted.

He then slapped Joe across the face twice.

"Thank you, Stumpy." Timon said, "But next time, try not to knock him out."

Stumpy looked at Joe; who was now unconscious.

"Whoops."

"We're not meant to fight predators, Timon." Flinchy continued, "When they come, we hide. That's just how it works. And we can't stay here if they know we're here."

A majority of the other meerkats nodded in response. Timon put his fists to his hips and glared at them.

"You guys really disappoint me, you know that?" he said, "Look at everything we've got here. Water, shade, an endless supply of food, and you're all gonna let a few hyenas take those things away from you? Need I remind you of what they did to Uncle Max? And you're all just gonna cut and run, and let them get away with it?! Well, not me! As the new leader of this colony, I say we're staying here!"

"Just who do you think you are?!" Flinchy blustered.

"Someone who's a lot less of a coward than you. That's for sure." Zina snapped at him.

"And just who are **you** to talk?!"

"A survivor, thanks to Timon."

The other meerkats turned to face her with puzzled expressions on their faces.

"What do you mean?" asked Swifty.

"On the day when I met Timon, I was this close to becoming a hyena's breakfast. But Timon had the courage to stand up to him and save me. And now that hyena's dead."

The other meerkats gasped and looked at Timon unbelievingly.

"Son, you… killed a hyena?" Nina asked.

"It's true." said Pumbaa, "I was there."

"Yeah. I kinda left out that detail, cause I didn't think you'd believe me." added Timon.

"Timmy," Nina responded, "after seeing what you did at Pride Rock, I would've believed **anything** you told me."

The other meerkats began talking amongst themselves. Then Gus suddenly looked up and said, "Look, Mama! A turkey!"

"What?" Sherri said, "Where?"

"Up there!"

Everyone looked up and saw a hornbill landing in the tree above them.

"Greetings and salutations." he said.

"Hey, I know you." Timon said, "You're that bird that works for Simba. Umm… Sazu… Zashu… Zalu..."

"The name is **Zazu!**"

"Right. So, what's on your mind?"

"I've come to announce that King Simba is on his way to visit. He should be on his way within three days."

"Really?" Pumbaa asked excitedly, "Simba's coming?"

"You don't say…" said Timon, "Well, that's good because we could sure use his help."

"Oh?" said Zazu, "What with?"

"Somehow, a hyena has managed to find this place, and he's threatened to come back with reinforcements. He also killed my uncle, Max."

Zazu gasped and put his wing to his beak.

"Oh dear! Why, that's terrible!"

"Can ya give him that message for me?"

"Certainly! I'll tell him right away!"

Zazu flew off.

"And try to make it quick!" Timon shouted to him.

"Yes, yes! I'll hurry!" Zazu shouted back.

"Bye, Mr. Turkey!" shouted Gus.

As the other meerkats snickered in response, Zazu sighed and muttered, "Kids today."

Timon wasn't exactly Zazu's favorite person, but he was still a friend of Simba's, and the last thing he wanted Simba to go through was the death of a friend. Especially since it took Zazu a long time to get over Mufasa's death. Additionally, he couldn't help feeling bad for Timon after hearing about Max's death.

"Well, there ya go." Timon said, turning back to the colony, "Problem solved."

"But what if Simba doesn't get here in time?" Pumbaa asked.

"Wait, I just thought of something. What if Simba doesn't get here in time?"

"I'm not sure we should take the chance." said Flinchy.

"You really want to go back to the tunnels?" Stumpy asked him.

"Well, no, but…"

"Then shut up!"

"Thank you again, Stumpy." said Timon, "All right, look. Just give me twenty-four hours. I'll come up with a backup plan to defeat the hyenas. I promise."

Everyone nodded.

"Alright, Timon." said Flinchy, "Twenty-four hours."

"We're counting on you, Timon." said Sherri, "I don't want to go back to the tunnels."

With that, the other meerkats left, except for Nina.

"Well, that went well." Timon said, "It shouldn't be too hard if Simba doesn't get here in time. I mean, we've already taken out one hyena. A few more shouldn't…"

"You don't have any idea what to do, do you?" Zina asked.

"Not a clue."

Timon sighed.

"Aw, honey," Nina said, "don't give up hope. You'll think of something. Even if you don't, I'm sure Simba will be here on time."

"Thanks, Ma."

"Let's get some breakfast." suggested Pumbaa, "Maybe that'll help you think."

"Pumbaa, that's the best idea I've heard all morning."

---

To be continued


	7. Fatherly Advice

**Chapter 7 – Fatherly Advice**

---

Late that night, while the other meerkats and Pumbaa were all fast asleep, Timon was the only one who couldn't sleep. He just kept pacing around, still trying to think of a plan to defeat the hyenas.

"Think, Timon. Think!" he said to himself.

After a while, he stopped pacing and fell over backwards in defeat. With a heavy sigh, he sat up.

"Oh, what's the use?" he muttered, "Some leader I am. I'm a disgrace to this colony, just like I always was."

Timon slowly got up and started walking away, hanging his head in shame. He looked up only to glance at his fellow meerkats as he passed them by. Each time he did, he would then look down again and sigh. He kept that up until he spotted Zina asleep on Pumbaa's back. Timon stopped and took a good long look at her. Then he glanced at Nina; who was sleeping just a few feet away from Pumbaa. And not too far away from her were Swifty, Sherri, and Gus. Looking at Swifty, Timon remembered what Swifty had said to him a few nights ago.

_'Thanks again for bringing us to this place. I'm glad we finally don't have to worry about anything with claws hurting Gus.'_

Then he looked at Sherri and remembered what she had said to him that morning.

_'We're counting on you, Timon. I don't want to go back to the tunnels.'_

Timon thought about those statements and then slapped himself in the face.

"What am I doing?!" he muttered to himself, "This is no time for moping and feeling sorry for myself! I did that enough at our old home. My fellow meerkats are counting on me, and I can't let them down. There's gotta be **something** I can do."

"Perhaps there is, if you believe so." a voice said.

"What the…?" Timon cried, looking around, "Who said that?"

Then the voice started chuckling and Timon instantly recognized it.

"Oh no…"

It was Rafiki. The baboon jumped down from a nearby tree and dropped right in front of Timon, still chuckling.

"**You** I don't need right now."

"Oh, is that so?" Rafiki replied, "You wish to solve your problem yourself and you don't need old Rafiki's help? Is that right?"

"That's right."

"Well, if that is what you wish, then so be it. Bye!"

With that, Rafiki bounded off. Timon started walking away. But less than five seconds later, he stopped and turned around.

"Oh, who am I kidding?! Wait! Come back!"

"Yes?" Rafiki said, dropping down behind him this time.

"First of all, quit startling me like that! Second..."

Timon sighed and mumbled, "I do need help."

"Well, my friend, you're in luck. I just happen to know someone who can help you."

"Great! Where can I find that person?"

"Just follow old Rafiki. He will take you to him. Come on!"

Rafiki lead Timon through the oasis, until they came to a lake.

"Right over there." Rafiki said, pointing to the lake with his stick.

Timon walked over to the lake and looked into the water.

"What, is it someone who lives in the water?" he asked.

Rafiki chuckled and said, "No, my friend. He lives not in the water, but within you."

_'Oy, there he goes again.'_ Timon thought,_ 'Is he even capable of speaking English?'_

Timon shrugged, took another look, and waited a few seconds. Then, just as he was about to lose interest, his reflection started to change. It was the same image that he saw in the lake, the night before he met Zina. Timon gasped as he finally recognized him.

"Hello again, Son." a voice said from behind.

Timon turned around. Standing there in front of him was his father's spirit. Startled, Timon nearly fell backwards into the water, but Buzz grabbed his hand and pulled him back on his feet.

"Pop!"

"Yes, Timon. It's really me. Your time for becoming the new leader was near. And I knew that you'd need help soon. That's why I'm here."

"That image in the water… and that voice… that was you!"

"Yep. I've been watching over you ever since I died."

Timon's heart sank when he remembered that day.

"Listen, Pop," he said, "about that… I'm really sor-"

"Don't apologize, Timon. My death wasn't your fault. Fighting off the first hyena was easy. Then I made the mistake of taking on the rest of the pack, even though I had a chance to escape. But that's beside the point. Do not give up hope, Timon. You **can** beat the hyenas. And you said yourself that you're not gonna let them get away with killing your uncle Max."

"But what can I do?"

"Think back to the day when you helped Simba at Pride Rock. When it looked like that trap wasn't going to work; you bravely ran right under the hyenas, jumped into the hole, and set it off. And when Zina was about to be eaten by a hyena, you stood up to him and saved Zina's life. Those actions took a lot of courage and clever thinking."

"Well..."

"So just remember to be brave, be confident, and use both brains and brawn. But most importantly…"

Buzz put his hand on Timon's shoulder.

"…believe in yourself, no matter what happens."

Timon smiled. It was the first time in years that he'd gotten encouragement from his father, and it gave him a new feeling of happiness.

"Thanks, Pop."

Buzz slowly started to fade.

"I… have to go now." he said, "But I'll leave you with one last bit of advice. Protect Zina with your life. Put your life on the line to save her if it should come to that. Your love may last an eternity, but her life can be taken away in an instant."

"I'll remember that."

Buzz threw his arms around Timon; who returned the hug and closed his eyes.

"I love you, Son."

"I love you, Pop."

When Timon opened his eyes, Buzz was gone. He looked into the lake, but all he saw was his own reflection.

"So, did that help?" Rafiki asked.

Timon gave it a moment's thought.

"Yeah! I've got it! I know how to beat 'em! It's gonna take some hard work and careful planning, but I **will** do it."

Timon started walking away from the lake.

"Oh yeah, and thanks..."

When he turned to thank Rafiki, the baboon was nowhere to be seen.

"I hate when he does that." Timon muttered, "Least he didn't hit me this time though."

---

To be continued


	8. Preparing for Battle

**Chapter 8 – Preparing for Battle **

---

"Everyone's ready and waiting." said Pumbaa.

"Good." Timon replied, "Let's go."

Pumbaa lowered his head and Timon and Zina climbed aboard.

"Got your stick?" Zina asked Timon.

"In hand." he said, holding it up.

"Your plan?"

"Memorized."

"Your nosefor?"

"What's a nosefor?"

"For smelling, silly."

Timon gave Zina a weird look for a moment, until he got the joke.

"Oh, wait! I get it!" he said laughing, "That's a good one!"

"I see his sense of humor's starting to rub off on you." Pumbaa said to Zina.

Pumbaa went to the meeting place, with Timon and Zina riding on his back. All the other meerkats in the colony were talking among themselves as they waited for Timon. As soon as they arrived, Timon and Zina climbed off Pumbaa, and Timon cleared his throat.

"If I could have everyone's attention please?" he said.

Unable to hear him, everyone continued talking.

"Ahem. Can we please quiet down now?"

Still they continued.

"For the last time, I… want… **QUIET!**"

Finally, everyone stopped and turned their attention to him.

"Thank you. Now then ladies and gentlemen, as promised, I have a plan."

Simultaneously relieved and worried, the other meerkats all sighed with relief and then gulped.

"Now I'm not gonna lie and say this will be easy," Timon continued, "but if it works, you'll all be glad you decided to stay. Pumbaa, do you remember how we stopped the hyenas at Pride Rock?"

"Uhh… well, first we danced for them and then you made a marriage prop-"

Timon quickly put his hands over Pumbaa's mouth.

"Besides that, Pumbaa." he said through clenched teeth.

"Oh. Umm… oh yeah! Nina and Max set a trap for them; which caused them to fall down a long tunnel!"

"Yes, Pumbaa. So that's what we need to do now. Build traps. And for our first trap, we're going to dig a big hole right here."

"I get it!" Tony said, "And then we cover the hole with leaves and grass, so that when the hyenas step on the cover, they'll fall in the hole! Right?"

"Very good, Tony. Now, who's up for digging one last tunnel?"

No hands were raised.

"As opposed to hundreds?"

Getting the point, half of the meerkats raised their hands.

"Okay, Tony, you start and I'll tell you when to stop."

Tony started digging.

"And… stop! Alright, the rest of you come over here and start digging until you get to the spot where Tony's standing."

The other volunteers got in position and started digging.

"Dig a tunnel, dig dig a tunnel." they sang softly, "When you're done, you…"

"Guys, please!" Timon shouted to them.

"Sorry!" they all shouted back, before resuming digging.

"That song brings back too many bad memories." Timon said to Zina.

"Ah." she replied, "Say, Timon, what was that about a marriage propos-"

Timon gently put his hand over Zina's mouth.

"Excuse us a moment." he said to the other meerkats.

He escorted Zina behind a tree, just a few feet away from the trap. Then he looked around to make certain that nobody would hear them.

"Okay, here's what happened. When Pumbaa and I lured the hyenas to the trap, Ma and Uncle Max weren't finished building it yet. So Pumbaa and I had to distract the hyenas until the trap was finished. Unfortunately, I… ran out of good ideas. So I had to do the only thing left that I could think of. I proposed to the female hyena. And only after doing that, was I able to buy enough time for Ma and Uncle Max to finish the trap."

Zina blinked a few times, not knowing what to say.

"Wow." she said, "Just… wow!"

"I know. I hate myself for doing it, but it was the only idea I had left."

Timon sighed and looked down at the ground, until Zina put her hand on his shoulder.

"Look at it this way, Timon. If you hadn't done it, you'd be dead now. And you would never have ended up with me."

Timon thought about what Zina said and realized she was right. He looked up at her with a smile and said, "Thanks, Zina." Soon afterwards, their lips were touching and they each had their arms wrapped around each other.

"Shall we get back to the new hyena traps now?" Zina asked as they pulled away.

"In a sec."

Timon gave her one more brief but passionate kiss, then got up and said, "Okay, let's go."

---

Back at the hyena's den, Brutus, Akili, and Bob feasted on a zebra's corpse.

"Think he'll ever find the place?" Brutus asked Akili.

"Sure, he will. If he looks hard enough." Akili replied, chewing up a mouthful of meat.

"You really think so?" Bob asked.

Akili swallowed and said, "No. In fact, I bet that place doesn't really even exist."

"Well, hey, I never been there. I just heard a rumor that they lived there."

Akili and Brutus just ignored Bob and continued eating. Shortly afterwards, Lakota appeared, out of breath from running all the way there.

"Well, look what the lion dragged in." said Brutus, "Any luck?"

"As a matter of fact, I did find Timon, and caught sight of Pumbaa." Lakota responded, "And as much as I hate to admit it, Bob, you were right. They really do live in that lush tropical oasis."

Bob just smirked, knowing that Lakota would slap him if he said anything.

"So, did you eat them or not?" Akili asked.

"No. I didn't have the chance to. There was an entire colony of meerkats there and I couldn't possibly take both them and Pumbaa alone. I'm gonna need help."

"Well, how far away is it?"

"'bout a day and a half's journey from here, I'd say."

"Why don't you have some zebra with us first and we'll go tomorrow?" Bob asked.

Bob then flinched, waiting for Lakota to slap him. Lakota started to, but then stopped and thought about it.

"You know, that's a good idea." he said, "We should take it easy now. We'll need our energy for the hunt."

Bob sighed with relief as Lakota joined the feast. But shortly afterwards, Lakota did slap Bob.

"OW!" Bob cried, rubbing his face, "Hey, what'd I do?"

"Nothing." Lakota replied, "I just felt like slapping someone."

---

To be continued


	9. The Battle

**Chapter 9 – The Battle**

---

"Now, Kiara, tomorrow your mother and I are going to the jungle oasis." Simba said to Kiara, "We'll be gone for about a week. You're sure that you and Kovu will be alright?"

"Oh, Daddy!" Kiara replied, "You worry too much."

"Everything will be fine." Kovu added, "We'll see to that."

Just then, Nala entered the lion's den.

"Simba!" she said, "I'm glad you're back. We have to get to the oasis now!"

"Why? What's the hurry?"

"While you were gone, Zazu came by with a message from Timon. He says that a hyena has found their oasis!"

"What?!"

"And it's worse. That hyena killed Timon's uncle and has threatened to come back with reinforcements!"

Simba, Kovu, and Kiara were shocked.

"Well then we've got no time to waste!" said Simba, "Kovu, I hope you don't mind being in charge for one extra day."

"I understand." Kovu said with a nod, "Good luck, both of you."

Kiara walked up to her parents and Nala gave Kiara a nuzzle.

"Bye, Mom." Kiara said.

Then Simba did the same.

"Bye, Dad."

"We'll be back in a week." Simba told her, "Take care, sweetheart."

Simba and Nala then ran out of the lion's den and made their way towards the jungle oasis as fast as they could.

"I hope they get there in time." Kiara said to Kovu.

Kovu nuzzled Kiara to comfort her, and said, "Me too."

---

Pumbaa trotted through the jungle with Timon standing on Pumbaa's head. Timon was facing a group of the meerkats; who were jogging a short distance behind them.

"They ain't gonna get us. Not today!" Timon shouted to the meerkats.

"They ain't gonna get us. Not today!" the meerkats shouted back.

"For what they've done, they're gonna pay!"

"For what they've done, they're gonna pay!"

Pumbaa looked up, then stopped and said, "Timon, look!"

"Not now, Pumbaa." Timon said, turning around, "And why'd you stop?"

Timon then noticed Zazu coming in for a landing in front of them. He quickly turned back to face the meerkats and said, "Company-"

Suddenly, the meerkats in the front row bumped into Pumbaa. Then the second row bumped into the front row, the third row bumped into the second row, and so on. Timon stumbled backwards and tried to keep his balance on Pumbaa's snout, but he soon fell off and landed on Zazu.

"…halt."

"Sorry." said Pumbaa.

"I don't suppose you'd mind getting **OFF** me, would you?" Zazu asked Timon.

"No, not at all." Timon replied.

Timon and the other meerkats got up and started dusting themselves off.

"Obviously, you're still not used to being a leader yet, are you?"

"Hey, I'm doing my best! Now whattaya want?"

"King Simba sends his apologies for the delay, but he says that he and Queen Nala will try to make it here as soon as they can. In addition to that, I thought you should know that I spotted the hyenas on my way here. It looks like they'll be arriving any minute now."

"How many of them are there?"

"By my count, there were four."

"Well, that doesn't sound too bad." said Pumbaa.

"Yeah, but we better hope they don't spread the word about this place." Timon said, "Thanks for the info, Zazu."

"Just doing my duty." Zazu replied, "Anything else you'd like me to report to the king?"

"Nope, can't think of anything."

"Very well. Ta-Ta. Oh, and good luck against the hyenas. You'll certainly need it."

With that, Zazu flew off.

"Battle stations, everyone!" Timon ordered, "Move out!"

Everyone scrambled to their positions and ducked out of sight.

"Timon, there!" Pumbaa said, pointing.

Timon looked and saw the hyenas approaching.

"Alright, here's the plan." he told Pumbaa, "I'm gonna try to stall them. Hopefully, I can buy enough time for Simba and Nala to get here. If not, then I'll make a break for the hole. Tell the others to stay hidden and not to come out until we move on to phase 2."

"Got it, Timon."

Pumbaa trotted off. Timon then spit on his hands and rubbed them together.

"Eww! Why'd I do that?"

After wiping his hands on the grass, he walked over to the hyenas.

"Look at this place!" Bob said excitedly, "It's even better than I pictured it!"

"Yeah. And soon it'll be ours." Lakota replied, "And whatever meerkats we don't devour will be our new slaves."

"Speaking of which, here comes one right now." Akili said, pointing a paw in Timon's direction.

Lakota looked and saw Timon walking up to them.

"Well, if it isn't the so-called Great Timon." said Lakota.

"The very same. So, you've heard of me?"

"Yeah. The little meerkat punk who killed my brother, Dakota!"

"Ah, you must mean the hyena that I sent falling to his death. I thought your ugly face resembled someone else I knew. And just who might you be, besides my Uncle Max's killer?"

"Oh yeah." Lakota chuckled, "I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm Lakota. This is Akili, Brutus, and Bob."

"Hi. Nice to meet you." said Bob, "Say, nice place you got here. Very beauti-"

Lakota picked up a rock with his paw and threw it at Bob, hitting him in the head.

"Shutting up."

"Now that we're all acquainted," Lakota continued, "let's do lunch."

"Well, I hope you ordered your meal to go." Timon said, "Cause here it goes!"

Timon then ran off as fast as he could.

"After him!" Lakota ordered.

_'Feet, don't fail me now!'_ Timon thought.

Lakota and the other hyenas chased after Timon as he ran towards the first trap.

"Now, Ma!" Timon shouted.

Nina, who was standing in a nearby tree branch, lowered a vine above the trap hole. Timon jumped towards the vine and grabbed onto it. Then Nina pulled the vine upwards as hard as she could. The hyenas looked up as Timon started climbing. Then Lakota glanced at the ground in front of them.

"Wait!" he shouted, "Stop!"

The hyenas all screeched to a halt. Brutus however, was too late and fell right into the trap.

"Looks like only one of them fell for it." said Nina.

"Well, it's a start." Timon said, "Alright, let's move on to phase 2."

"Phase 2!" Nina shouted to the other meerkats.

As the hyenas tried to help Brutus out of the hole, a voice shouted, "Yoo-hoo! Over here!"

The hyenas looked and saw a group of meerkats a few yards away. Putting their thumbs in their ears and sticking out their tongues, the meerkats wiggled their fingers and blew raspberries at the hyenas. Then they turned around, bent over, and waved their tails in the air, and called out "Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah!" Then they ran off.

"Let's split up." said Lakota.

"Good idea." Akili replied.

"Yeah, we can do more damage that way." added Bob.

Each of them went in a different direction, pursuing the meerkats that taunted them.

"Uhh… guys?" called Brutus, "What about me? Guys?"

---

"You sure this is gonna work?" Flinchy nervously asked Stumpy.

"Look, it's real simple." Stumpy replied, "Just go out there and get that hyena's attention. Then lure him over here and we'll do the rest."

"But I…"

"Do it!"

"Alright, alright. I'm going."

Flinchy came out of the bushes and walked up to Bob; who was looking and sniffing around for the meerkats he'd been chasing.

"I know you're here somewhere."

Flinchy then cleared his throat and said, "H-Here I am. C-Come and get me!"

Just as Bob turned his head and noticed him, Flinchy ran off as fast as he could.

"Hey, no fair!" Bob said, giving chase, "Wait up!"

As soon as Flinchy and Bob were in range, Stumpy emerged from his hiding place, holding a vine with a rock tied to each end. He spun it around and then threw it at Bob. The vine wrapped itself around Bob's legs and he fell to the ground, unable to move.

"Whoa, that got him!" a meerkat said with excitement, "Good assistance, Flinchy."

Flinchy stopped to catch his breath, then turned around and looked at Bob.

"Wow!" he said to himself, "That really worked!"

As Bob struggled to free himself, he soon found himself surrounded by meerkats; who were all wielding big sticks. Nervously, he looked around and smiled at them. The meerkats just glared at him for a brief moment, then they attacked.

"Ow! Ooh! Ack! Ow!" Bob cried, "Cut it out, will ya? Ow! Ooh!"

---

"Missed me again!" Swifty taunted Akili, "Can't touch me! Too slow!"

Akili repeatedly lunged at Swifty; who kept moving out of the way with his incredible speed. Swifty kept that up until he suddenly 'accidentally' tripped and fell onto the ground.

"Ow!" he cried, "Oh, help me! I've fallen and I can't get up!"

"Aww, poor baby." Akili said, nearly out of breath, "Don't worry, I'll be happy to help you. Help you get to my stomach!"

Akili took one last lunge at Swifty; who then hastily got up and jumped out of the way. Then before Akili knew it, she was pulled in the air by a snare trap.

"Just kidding!" said Swifty.

Seconds later, Akili noticed Sherri and Gus come towards her with a small group of other young meerkats. As they got in position, Swifty handed each pup a stick, while Sherri tied a leaf around each pup's eyes.

"Okay, kids," Sherri said, "Get ready, set, go!"

The pups began hitting Akili like a piñata.

"Ow! Ooh! Hey!" she cried, "Stop it! Ow! You little brats! Ow!"

---

With his leadership stick clutched in his teeth, Timon climbed down to the bottom of the tree, where Pumbaa was waiting.

"How we doing so far, Pumbaa?" he asked, after taking the stick out of his mouth.

"Well, there's good news and bad news." Pumbaa told him, "The good news is: Brutus is stuck in the hole, Bob has been successfully restrained by Stumpy, and Akili has fallen for our snare trap."

"That's good to hear." Timon replied with a grin, "What about Lakota?"

"Yeah… that's the bad news. He seems to be avoiding most of our traps and we've lost sight of him."

"I see. Well, is Zina safe?"

"Uhh… I don't know. I was hoping she was with you."

"I thought **you** were protecting her."

Realizing that he and Pumbaa had once lost Kiara that way, Timon slapped his forehead and thought, _'Jeez, I'm such an idiot!'_

"You do realize this isn't a good time for us to start another fight." Pumbaa replied.

"Yeah, I know." Timon said glumly, "It's my fault anyway."

"Aw, don't worry, Timon. She's gotta be alive."

"Yeah, you're right. That Lakota'll never get her."

Pumbaa suddenly looked behind Timon and gasped.

"That stupid hyena." Timon continued, "He couldn't catch a cold in a blizzard."

"Uhh, Timon…"

"He's probably just as dumb as his brother was."

"Timon…"

"In fact, I'll bet he's so dumb… he's behind me, isn't he?"

Pumbaa nodded. Timon turned around and sure enough, there was Lakota, standing just three feet away from him. And to Timon's horror, Lakota was holding Zina by the tail in his teeth.

"Perhaps I'm **not** as dumb as Dakota was?" Lakota said through his clenched teeth.

"Help me!" Zina cried.

The other meerkats stopped what they were doing and looked. They all gasped when they noticed Zina dangling from Lakota's jaws.

"Should we use my secret weapon?" Pumbaa whispered to Timon.

Timon nodded in response. Pumbaa then turned around while Timon hastily climbed onto his back. Setting his stick down, he grabbed Pumbaa's tail and cocked it like a shotgun.

"Alright, Lakota," he said, pointing it at him, "just put the girl down and I won't have to use this."

"So you really care about this girl, huh?" Lakota said, "Tell ya what, punk. I'll make you a deal. You let my friends go, I'll let her live and we'll leave. You have my promise."

_'He didn't say they wouldn't come back.' _Timon thought, _'Even so, I trust this jerk about as far as I can throw him. But I can't lose Zina like I lost Pop and Uncle Max.'_

Timon then remembered the words that his father told him. _'Give your life for her if it should come to that.' _Thinking about those words, he looked at his stick and back at Lakota. Then he had an idea.

"Well?" Lakota asked impatiently, "Is it a deal or not?"

"How 'bout I make you a different deal? You let her go, and I'll take her place."

All the other meerkats and Pumbaa gasped.

"Timon, you can't be serious!" said Pumbaa.

"I am serious. I'm willing to die for the one I love. Besides, that's the reason you came here, right? To get revenge on me for killing your brother. Well, now here's your chance."

Lakota chuckled and said, "All right. Deal."

Akili; having overheard their conversation, was shocked. She couldn't believe that he was just going to leave them there, just so he could avenge his brother.

"One condition though." Timon added, "She and I get to share one last kiss first."

"Well, seeing as how it'll be your last… okay."

Timon let go of Pumbaa's tail, picked up his stick, and jumped off Pumbaa's back. Then Lakota put Zina down and she ran up to Timon. Timon and Zina threw their arms around each other and kissed. As they pulled away, Zina just looked up at Timon with tears in her eyes, not knowing what to say.

"Trust me." Timon whispered to her, "I know what I'm doing."

He then winked at her and walked towards Lakota.

"Now put that stick down slowly." Lakota ordered.

Timon nodded and started to put his stick down. Then he quickly brought it back up and said, "You forgot to say **'please!'**"

He then threw the stick as hard as he could, right into Lakota's eye. Lakota screamed in pain and rubbed his eye. Timon quickly picked up Zina, ran up to Pumbaa, and put Zina on his snout.

"Run, Pumbaa!" he shouted, "Get her out of here, now!"

Pumbaa nodded and ran off. Timon then looked around for a weapon and found a big stick just a few feet away. But just as he started running towards it, Lakota suddenly snapped his jaws at Timon and grabbed onto his right foot.

"**YEOWWWW!**" Timon screamed.

"Timmy!" Nina shouted.

"Timon!" shouted Pumbaa and Zina.

"You ain't goin' nowhere, pal!" Lakota said, "Except to my stomach!"

Suddenly, everyone heard a loud roar. Lakota turned around. Then he dropped Timon and screamed as a male lion pounced on him, pinned him to the ground, and delivered a fatal bite to his neck. In less than a second, Lakota was dead. Timon; who was now rubbing his foot in pain, wiggled his toes a bit and was relieved to find out that he still had them all. Then he looked up at his savior.

"Simba! Nala!" he cried with excitement.

"It's Simba and Nala!" Pumbaa shouted.

The meerkats cheered wildly.

"Long time, no see, Timon." said Nala.

"Sorry we took so long." added Simba, "Was that the hyena that killed Max?"

"Yep, that was him all right." Timon responded, "Say, what kept you guys anyway?"

"Oh, a bunch of things came up that only I could take care of. And only after doing those things was I able to get your message from Zazu. It's not always easy being king, you know."

Pumbaa ran up to Simba and Nala, with Nina and Zina riding on his back. When he stopped, Nina and Zina jumped off.

"Welcome back, Simba." said Pumbaa, "Good to see you again. And you too, Nala."

"Likewise, Pumbaa." Simba replied, "I'm glad you and Timon are both still in one piece."

As Timon continued rubbing his aching foot, Nina ran up to him.

"Timmy! Are you okay? Here, let me see it."

Nina held Timon's foot and began surveying it.

"Well, you still got all your toes. That's good. And you don't seem to be bleeding anywhere. Does this hurt?"

Timon pulled his foot away and said, "Ma, stop fussing already! I'm fine."

He then stood up, pretending not to feel any pain. Shortly afterwards, he noticed Zina walking up to him.

"Zina!"

Timon limped as fast as he could towards her, and they shared another loving embrace.

"Oh, Timon!" Zina cried, "I'm so glad you made it!"

"I'm real sorry, Zina." Timon replied, "I should never have left you out of my sight."

"Forget about it. You saved my life again, and that's all that matters."

"So I see you've made a new friend, Timon." said Simba.

"Oh yeah." Timon said, pulling away, "You haven't met Simba and Nala yet. Simba, Nala, meet Zina. Zina, King Simba and Queen Nala."

Zina bowed to them.

"I'm very honored to meet you." she said.

"Pleased to meet you too. Excuse me for a moment."

Simba then roared again.

"All right, the rest of you hyenas, listen up!" he shouted, "I hereby order you to leave this place and never return again! If any harm comes to either the meerkats or the warthog in this colony, I will personally hunt you all down and kill you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sire!" Akili shouted back.

"Yes, Sire!" Brutus shouted.

"Yes, of course, your majesty!" Bob shouted, "We would never ever…"

A meerkat hit him in the head with his stick.

"Shutting up."

The meerkats untied Akili and Bob; who then ran to the hole in the ground, where Brutus was. With a bit of effort, they were able to pull him out of the hole.

"You heard his majesty!" Timon said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder, "Move it! Get lost! Be gone!"

"Yes, sir." the hyenas all said together.

As Timon watched the hyenas leave, all the other meerkats in the colony came up behind him. When Timon turned around, they all bowed.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Timon said, bowing to Simba and Nala.

Simba and Nala grinned, then looked back at the other meerkats and chuckled.

"Timon, you might want to turn around." said Nala, "I don't think they're done yet."

"Huh?"

Timon turned around and saw something he never thought he'd see before. All the other meerkats were saluting him. Pumbaa, Nina, and Zina soon followed.

"Timon, you truly are the greatest meerkat we've ever known." Swifty said.

"If you hadn't convinced us to defend ourselves, we'd all be back to our old lifestyle of digging tunnels by now." added Sherri.

"I'm so sorry I ever doubted you." said Flinchy, "I don't know what I was thinking."

"We're proud to call you our leader." said Stumpy.

Timon didn't know what to say. Up until then, he never thought he'd be a very good leader. Now he was being hailed as the best one they'd ever had. Finally, he was able to say, "At ease."

The others lowered their arms to their sides and relaxed.

"Well, what're we all just standing around for?" Timon said, "A victory just isn't a victory without a victory celebration, right? But first… Zina, I'd like to ask you something."

Timon knelt in front of her and held her hand.

"Zina, my love, will you be my mate?" he asked.

This time Timon wasn't embarrassed to ask that question, despite everyone watching.

Zina smiled and answered, "I thought you'd never ask."

Everyone cheered as Timon's and Zina's lips came in contact once again. Nina sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye.

"My baby's all grown up!" she said.

She then burst into tears on Pumbaa's shoulder. Pumbaa grinned and patted her back.

---

"I say we kill Simba and then…"

"I say you shut up, Brutus." Akili interrupted.

"But we're not gonna let him get away with killing Lakota, are we?"

"First of all, if we do kill Simba, the rest of his pride will be breathing down our necks. And in case you didn't hear, they're now twice as big as they were after Scar's defeat. Secondly, let's face it. Lakota was a jerk, just like his brother."

Brutus thought about it.

"You know, you're right." he said.

"Yeah, I never did like Lakota slapping me in the face." Bob replied, "And Dakota was always hogging the chow."

"Speaking of chow, I never really did like the taste of meerkats." Brutus said, "How 'bout you, Akili?"

"To tell you the truth, I'd rather go for something with more meat on its bones."

"Yeah, and something that's easier to catch." added Bob.

"Then it's decided." said Akili, "From now on, we give up meerkats and stick to bigger and slower animals."

"Agreed." Bob and Brutus said together.

---

To be concluded


	10. Another Happy Ending

Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 – Another Happy Ending**

--

Timon walked through the jungle oasis, watching proudly as his best friends; Simba, Nala, and Pumbaa continued celebrating with the other meerkats. Now that the pain in his foot was gone, he and Zina were officially mates, the hyenas were defeated, and Max was avenged, Timon felt great. The celebration of both the meerkats' victory over the hyenas and Timon and Zina's marriage had lasted three days so far. Before the celebration started, they held a funeral service for Max at their old home; where his body had been buried next to Buzz's body. Lakota's body (or at least, what was left of it after the lions had lunch) was buried earlier that day in the hole that had been used to trap Brutus during the battle. Unlike Buzz and Max though, Lakota's grave didn't get a headstone, nor did anyone mourn for him.

As Timon went on, he noticed Iron Joe calmly sitting on a large rock and sipping a drink from a coconut shell.

"How ya feeling?" he asked Joe.

"Much better now," Joe replied, "though my face still hurts a little. Still, I can't thank you enough for convincing us to stay. That victory was just what I needed to get over Buzz and Max's deaths. If we had gone back to the tunnels, I'd probably never have gotten my sanity back."

"Glad to have helped. Take care, Joe."

"See ya."

Timon continued on his way until he found Zina napping in a hammock with her hand over her stomach and a smile on her face. The wedding feast had left her stuffed.

_'I must be the luckiest meerkat in the world.'_ Timon thought, as he watched her.

He glanced at Zina's feet.

"Hmmm…" he said, a smile forming on his face.

Timon snuck up close to Zina. With one finger, he tickled her toes, causing her to wake up with a shriek.

"Oh, it's you." she said, "Trying to start another tickle fight, eh?"

"Hey, you started the last one."

Swifty then appeared once again.

"Hmmm… thought I heard a scream." he said, "Everything okay over here?"

"Oh yeah. We're alright." Timon replied, "Nothing's wrong."

"Okay. Just checking."

After Swifty left, Timon once again took advantage of the distraction by tickling Zina's feet with both hands.

"Hey!" Zina cried, "Quihihihihit it, Tim-oh! Whoa!"

She then fell out of her hammock and into the water. Timon could barely hold in his laughter as Zina surfaced and made her way back to the bank.

"Wow!" he chuckled, "And I thought **my** feet were weak against tickling hands!"

_'I can't believe he pulled that same trick on me twice!'_ Zina thought, as she grabbed a leaf and dried herself off. Once she was dry again, Zina tossed the leaf aside and turned back to Timon.

"Alright, Timon," she said, "you asked for it! I'm gonna get you **real** good this time!"

She ran up to Timon, jumped on him, and the two meerkats began tickle fighting once again. They continued rolling around, tickling each other, and laughing together; until they were both tired out.

"Okay…" Timon said, out of breath, "How 'bout we… call it a draw?"

"Sure." Zina replied, "Sounds… good to me."

Timon and Zina lay there in the grass, looking into each other's eyes as they caught their breaths. Then they reached out their arms and shared another embrace.

"Now I **truly** have everything I ever wanted right here." said Timon, "Respect from my fellow meerkats, a friends to hang out with, and best of all: somebody to love."

He then planted a kiss on Zina's forehead.

"I just wish Pop and Uncle Max could be here right now."

"We **are** here." two voices said together.

Startled, Timon and Zina sat up and turned toward the voices. Standing there were the spirits of Buzz and Max.

"Pop! Uncle Max!"

"I knew you'd beat the hyenas, Son." said Buzz, "You've truly earned your leadership title."

"You did great, Timon." added Max, "I know I've never said this to you before, but I'm proud of you."

Timon grinned.

"Well, Zina," he said, "You've already met Uncle Max. This is my father. Pop, Zina."

"A pleasure to meet you." Buzz said, shaking her hand, "Just sorry I couldn't meet you at your wedding."

"I wish we could've been there too." said Max, "Those entrees that Pumbaa fixed looked mighty tasty."

"So, Timon, do you think you'll be up to the challenge of being a father when that time comes?"

"Well, Pumbaa and I did raise Simba. How hard could it be?"

"That's what your dad said." Max replied, elbowing Buzz.

"Hey!"

"Aw, I'm just screwin' with ya, Buzz. Just like I used to when we were pups, remember? Like how I used to do this to you?"

Max put his arm around Buzz's neck and started to noogie him. Flinching in pain, Buzz responded, "Oh yeah. And then I'd follow up with this!"

Buzz grabbed Max's tail and twisted it.

"OW!" Max cried, releasing Buzz's neck and grabbing his tail, "Hey, no fair!"

Timon slapped his forehead and thought, _'Tail twist! Of course! Why didn't I ever think of that?'_

"All right, you two, that's enough." said Zina.

Buzz let go of Max's tail, then pointed to Max and said, "He started it."

"Kinda makes me glad I'm an only pup." Timon muttered to Zina.

Buzz and Max started to fade.

"They're calling us back." Max said, "It's time for us to go now."

"For good?" Timon asked.

"Timon, do you think we'd ever let you out of our sight? Or out of our hearts?"

"Maybe this'll help you feel better." Buzz said, "Look up at the sky, Son. See those sparkly dots up there?"

"Oh, you mean the fireflies that got stuck up there?"

Buzz and Max snickered.

"Those 'fireflies' are all the great leaders of the past." Max replied.

"…Really?"

"Yep. And they'll always be there to watch over you. Just as we will."

"Well… gee, I… feel a little guilty now." Timon muttered.

"Don't worry, Timon." Buzz said, "I'm sure Simba understands."

Timon stood up. Then Buzz threw his arms around Timon; who returned the hug.

"Goodbye, Son."

"Goodbye, Pop."

After a few seconds, Buzz let go, allowing Max to hug Timon.

"Take care, Timon."

"I will."

Buzz and Max then took each other's hands and slowly started to rise in the air. As they got higher, they continued to fade. Timon and Zina stood there, waving to them until they disappeared completely. Timon slowly brought his hand back down and continued looking up into the air, where his father and uncle once were. Even though he'd never see them again while he was alive, he had a smile on his face. He and Zina just stood there, staring into the air. Zina turned around when she heard Pumbaa coming up behind them.

"Oh, there you guys are." he said, "I've been looking for you. You okay, Timon?"

Timon turned around and said, "Yeah, Pumbaa. Better than I've ever been in my life."

"Okay… well, we're getting ready to start the last bug volleyball game for the night and it's your turn to be the ref."

"Alright, let's go."

Timon and Zina climbed onto Pumbaa's back, and Pumbaa took them to the court.

--

"So, Max, did I tell you or what?" Buzz asked.

"You sure did." Max replied, "You really were right about him all along. But Buzz, do you think he'll fare well without us there to guide him?"

"It's his future. We've done our part. The rest is up to him."

"Yeah, you're right. As long as he believes in himself and walks his own path, everything should go fine."

"Believes in himself, eh? You're starting to sound like me, Max."

"Am I now? Well, it's about time."

--

THE END


	11. Deleted Scenes

**Somebody to Love – Deleted Scenes**

---

**Originally, when Timon and Pumbaa were taking Zina with them to the oasis, the scene was going to imply that Zina ate the scorpion that Timon had been after. It would also have Pumbaa start to describe the oasis to her, but Timon would interrupt him by saying that they shouldn't spoil the surprise. I cut that scene because the chapter was getting a bit on the long side and I thought of a better way (in my opinion) to end the scene. I also realized that if Zina had eaten the scorpion, she probably wouldn't hold onto the tail for that long and if she did, Pumbaa and Timon would probably have noticed it in her hand by the time they met her.**

Timon then got on after her.

"By the way, Pumbaa," he said, "you didn't happen to find any grubs, did you?"

"Uhh… no. Did you?"

"Well, I found a scorpion, but then I kinda got distracted."

"Oh… were you gonna eat that?" Zina asked.

Zina let out a burp, followed by a nervous chuckle as she held up the scorpion's severed tail.

"Sorry." she said.

"Aw, don't sweat it." Timon replied, "We got plenty to eat back home."

"Yeah, and that's not all." said Pumbaa, "It's got spectacular waterfalls, porch swings, a hot spri-"

"Whoa now, Pumbaa!" Timon interrupted, "Let's not spoil the surprise, shall we?"

"Oh, right. Sorry. Well, you'll love it."

---

**When I wrote the first tickle fight scene, Zina was originally going to be in control throughout the whole 'fight.' But I soon decided that it was only fair to give Timon a fighting chance, so to speak. Also, I thought it'd be best if Timon knew from experience that Zina was ticklish before he started the other tickle fight at the end.**

Timon laughed uncontrollably as Zina started tickling him. After a while, Swifty wandered by.

"Excuse me," he said, "have either of you seen my son? His name's Gus and he's about this tall. I think he was playing near the water earlier, but now I can't find him."

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen him." Zina said.

"Me neither." added Timon.

"Oh. Well, thanks anyway."

Swifty walked away, calling out to Gus. Zina turned back to face Timon, but he was now nowhere to be seen.

"Timon? Where'd you go?"

Zina looked around until she finally saw Timon tiptoeing away.

"Aha!"

Timon started to run, but Zina soon caught up to him. She jumped on him, pinned him to the ground, and continued her tickling assault.

"Hey, nohohohoho fair!" Timon cried, "Quihihihihit it!"

Zina suddenly stopped when she heard a small voice cry out, "Help!"

---

**In this deleted scene, I was going to reference the TV show, Sledge Hammer. In one episode of that show, while Sledge tries to disarm a bomb, his fellow officers see it happening on the news and start cheering him on by shouting, "Go, Hammer, go! Go, Hammer, go!" Meanwhile, the Captain; who despises Hammer, shouts, "Go, bomb, go! Go, bomb, go!" Then he stops and says, "Go, Hammer, go! Go, Hammer, go!" Anyway, I had decided to reference that show by putting a similar scene in the part when Zina goes to save Gus from drowning. But as cruel as Max seemed in the movie and in the DVD bonus features, I decided that maybe I was making him too much of a bastard.**

Gus coughed as Zina swam towards the shore as fast as she could. Shortly afterwards, Max appeared with Pumbaa and the rest of the meerkats.

"What's going on here?" Max asked.

"My baby's in the river!" cried Sherri, "And she's saving him!"

Max looked and saw Gus holding onto Zina for dear life as she struggled against the current to get to the shore.

"Go, Zina, go!" the meerkats started shouting, "Go, Zina, go!"

"Go, current, go!" Max said, "Go, current…"

Max stopped, gave a sigh and mumbled, "Go, Zina, go. Go, Zina, go."

Soon, Zina and Gus neared the shore.

---

**Here's a scene I was going to have right after Timon and Zina talk about Timon's embarrassing marriage proposal to Shenzi. I deleted this scene because I thought the chapter was getting kind of long and I couldn't figure out where to go from Timon's final line. Though I suppose I could've ended the scene there.**

"I wonder what's keeping them?" a meerkat asked another.

The other meerkat just shrugged.

"You think maybe they're having a fight?" asked Pumbaa.

"I sure hope not." said Nina, "I know how desperate he's been to find a mate and if they had a fight, it would probably tear him apart."

Soon afterwards, Swifty spotted Timon and Zina returning.

"There they are." he said.

He then noticed them holding hands and smirked.

"And I think you can rest easy." he whispered to Nina.

"Alright, how we doin' so far?" Timon asked the meerkats.

"Well, it wasn't easy getting out," one of them replied, "but we've finished the hole."

Timon walked up to the hole and surveyed it.

"Excellent." he said, "Good work, fellas. This'll do fine. Now let's get to work on the cover. Somebody get up that tree and see if you can find me a strong vine."

---

**Originally, the battle with the hyena pack was going to be completely different. There was only going to be one trap and it would be similar to the one that they used in TLK 1.5. And of course, Lakota would be the only one who wouldn't fall for it, so Timon would have to save Zina from him again until Simba and Nala showed up to save the day. To distract the hyenas, the meerkats would do a song and dance number; which… well… you gotta see for yourself. Just go to YouTube and type in "Moskau" in the search bar, press enter, and select either the first or second video on the list. Go ahead, I'll wait for you to come back.**

**Finished? Yeah, that was pretty crazy, wasn't it? Anyway, I dropped that idea because I got a little confused about how to work that Moskau number into the scene. Plus, I eventually decided that it was better for the hyenas to be defeated one by one. I also wanted to have Stumpy and Swifty demonstrate their amazing talents again, during the battle.**

---

**Here's a scene I had planned for when Lakota is holding Timon by the foot and is about to eat him. Actually, I was thinking about changing the official version of the scene to this version, but I never got around to it and eventually decided that what I had was fine and the change wasn't really necessary.**

Timon then looked around for a weapon and found a big stick just a few feet away. But just as he started running towards it, Lakota suddenly snapped his jaws at Timon and grabbed onto his right foot.

"**YEOWWWW!**" Timon screamed.

"Timmy!" Nina shouted.

"Timon!" shouted Pumbaa and Zina.

Lakota chuckled and walked up to the stick.

"Go ahead, Timon." he taunted the meerkat, through his clenched teeth, "Grab it."

The hyena lowered his head until the stick was just barely in Timon's reach. But just as Timon reached for it, Lakota lifted his head up again.

"Aw, too slow! Try again! Come on!"

He lowered his head again and Timon reached for the stick. But Lakota lifted his head again before Timon could get it. Then he swiped at the stick with his paw, knocking it out away.

"Whoops! Clumsy me!" the hyena chuckled, "Looks like you lose, meerkat!"

"Correction, hyena," a voice shouted, "**YOU** lose!"

Lakota turned around. Then he dropped Timon and screamed as a male lion pounced on him, pinned him to the ground, and delivered a fatal bite to his neck.

---

**Here's a funeral scene I was considering for the final chapter; which includes the meerkats' version of a 3-volley salute. I never actually got around to writing this scene until now, otherwise I might've put it in. **

"…but despite how cruel he seemed on the outside, I know that on the inside he was a loving brother, a loving uncle, and I think we can all agree that he was a good leader."

Timon wiped away another of the many tears that had come to his eyes as he gave his eulogy.

"May his soul rest in peace. Thank you." he concluded.

Everyone applauded as Timon went back into the crowd. He then nodded to Flinchy; who emerged from the crowd with three groups of four meerkats. Each of them was holding a small rock.

"Present rocks!" Flinchy shouted.

The meerkats in the first group held their rocks up, ready to throw them.

"Ready, throw!"

They threw the rocks in salute, then they returned to the crowd while the second group got into position. The salute continued until all twelve of the meerkats had thrown their rocks and returned to the crowd.

"Alright, everyone," Timon said, putting his arm around Zina, "let's go home now and prepare for the wedding."

---

**And… that's it. Yep, that's all the deleted scenes. So… bye. Oh, and one more thing. If you liked this story, then stay tuned for the sequel entitled The Double Agent, coming soon. See ya!**


End file.
